Let us turn to 2 Corinthians 12, verse 2:
I know a man in Christ, who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knoweth—such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
And I know such a man—whether in the body, or apart from the body, I do not know; God knoweth—
How that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Now let me repeat the first phrase: “I know a man in Christ.”
Dear Lord, thank You so much once again. It is Your grace that we may be at Your feet again. Lord, we want to hear Your word this morning, so Lord, speak to our hearts. May Your word sink deeply into our hearts, that it may grow according to Your will.
So, Lord, we commit this time into Your hands. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.
This morning, we would like to continue to share on the life of Paul. We will especially focus on the inner life of Paul. We would like to know the development of that wonderful life.
Now, as I mentioned, the life of Paul is very fascinating. When you study the life of Paul, sometimes you are very curious. You want to know what Paul looked like.
At the very beginning, I would like to give you one piece of information. Around A.D. 160, a Christian writer gave a description of Paul’s appearance. Let me read it for you:
A man of little stature, thin-haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, of good state of body, with eyebrows meeting, and a somewhat hooked nose; full of grace. For sometimes he appeared like a man, and sometimes he had the face of an angel.
Actually, this is not a very flattering picture. But anyway, brothers and sisters, we can have a better picture if we really focus on the inner life of Paul and try to learn some secrets from this man.
Of course, first we have to consider our source. How can we understand the inner life of Paul? The first important document, no doubt, is the book of Acts. Then we have the thirteen epistles of Paul.
I already told you that, roughly, the life of Paul can be divided into three stages, or three periods. Each period covers almost eleven years. We do not want to get into the technical side of it now.
If you have these three periods in view, then you see that in the middle of the second stage Paul wrote 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians. At the end of the second stage, when he really came to the peak of that stage, he wrote 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians, Galatians, and Romans.
Then, in the middle of the third stage, while in the Roman prison, he wrote Ephesians, Colossians, Philippians, and Philemon. At the end of the third stage, he wrote 1 Timothy, Titus, and 2 Timothy.
Because we know roughly when Paul wrote his books, if we fit the thirteen epistles into these periods, somehow we can gain a glimpse of his inner life. Especially, we can trace the course of that life. We can see a picture of development.
Of course, we have to remember that, even if we know this, we will not get anywhere unless we understand his life. Paul’s life has one explanation, because Paul himself said, “Not I, but Christ who liveth in me.”
I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ liveth in me.
—Galatians 2:20
So you have to remember: the life which Paul lived was Someone else’s life. It was not his own life. He said, “Not I, but Christ.” Therefore, that life was the life of Christ.
Last time, we mentioned how the life of Paul can be traced back to the life of Christ. That is the true explanation. Brothers and sisters, if we go back to the Gospel according to Luke, and if we keep the life of Christ in view, then that life should be able to explain the whole life of Paul—especially his inner life.
Because of this, when we look at Paul’s history, we are greatly encouraged. This is not merely a life for us to admire. It is not the life of a great giant. No, it speaks of a man in Christ.
Brothers and sisters, if we are in Christ, then we are going to live a life like that. We will never live the Christian life unless we have a Christian life to live. What is the Christian life? The Christian life is none other than the life of “not I, but Christ.”
This morning, we will focus on the first stage—or, if you do not like the word stage, the first period—of the life of Paul. Then we will see what kinds of lessons we can learn.
Of course, we have to start with the new birth. We have to begin with that dramatic incident on the way to Damascus. That is very important, because if you know the story of his conversion, then it will explain the way of development. Then you will see how that life grew.
I think we will consider four major lessons in the first stage. Paul learned many, many lessons, of course, but because of time we will only focus on four major lessons which he learned during this first period.
These ought to be important lessons for us—fundamental lessons, basic lessons—which we also have to go through. No matter what, brothers and sisters, if we really live this wonderful life and let the life of Christ grow in us, then we are bound to experience these very fundamental lessons.
The new birth is the entrance into life. We are talking about life; we are talking about life in Paul; we are talking about the course of life. Of course, the entrance into life is the new birth.
In order to explain the conversion of Paul—and you know that the story of Paul’s conversion has been considered one of the greatest conversion stories in history—we would like to know the spiritual significance of that conversion. What kind of lessons can we learn from it?
We need to do some review, because we all begin from there. Brothers and sisters, we all have been born again. We all have been born from above, and we all have been born of the Holy Spirit. Thank God, one day we met our Lord and we were saved.
The moment we were saved, immediately we entered into this wonderful life. So let us look back and see what happened in our first experience. What happened at the door of our life?
The story of Paul’s conversion was very dramatic. But I tell you, brothers and sisters, every story of conversion is dramatic, because it is a great miracle. I must say that the greatest miracle in our whole life is that one day, somehow, the Lord touched us; somehow, the Lord met us; somehow, we met the risen Lord.
Brothers and sisters, our whole life has been greatly changed. But the important thing is this: let us stop for a moment and see the significance of our conversion.
Almost toward the end of the first stage of Paul’s life, Paul used the phrase, “a man in Christ.” I think this is the best description of the first stage of Paul’s life, in his own way. So we would like to begin here, because he said, “I know a man in Christ.”
Let me say this: “In Christ” was Paul’s position at the entrance of his spiritual life, as well as his goal at the end.
When we speak of being in Christ, we usually speak of position. Positionally speaking, we are in Christ. God has put us in Christ. I think we all know that clearly.
But if you go through the life of Paul very carefully, you discover that being in Christ was not only Paul’s position; it was also his goal at the end. We will come back to this shortly.
Let us spend a few moments on this phrase, in Christ. If you read Paul’s epistles, one thing will strike you: “in Christ” was Paul’s watchword. It was his favorite phrase.
Someone once calculated that Paul used the expressions “in Christ,” “in the Lord,” and similar phrases 164 times in his epistles, absent only from 2 Thessalonians. I admire those brothers very much, because at that time there were no personal computers.
Today, if you take a personal computer and press a button, you can search these phrases. But those brothers had to work through the Scriptures carefully. Nevertheless, they found this phrase again and again: in Christ.
So, brothers and sisters, if you want to understand the life of Paul, you have to understand this phrase, “in Christ.” Paul was almost the originator of this wonderful formula. I say almost because the true originator of this phrase was our Lord Himself.
You remember that He said:
Abide in Me, and I in you.
—John 15:4
Paul took this phrase and made it his own watchword. The phrase “in Christ” is not only the essence of Christianity in general; it is the essence of every individual Christian life also.
Martin Luther used to say that the true gospel lies in the pronouns. For example:
The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself up for me.
—Galatians 2:20
Another writer said that all Christian thought and experience can be found in prepositions, and in one preposition in particular: in Christ.
Therefore, “in Christ” is indeed Paul’s watchword. We use this phrase to explain the new birth, because “in Christ” is our position at the entrance into life.
When we consider the conversion of Paul, probably the best way to understand it is to use Paul’s own words. We want to listen to the interpretation of the Holy Spirit through Paul’s writings.
In 2 Corinthians 4:6, Paul said:
Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
If you pay attention to this passage, you will discover that Paul referred back to Genesis. In Genesis 1:3, God said:
Let there be light: and there was light.
Paul was quoting that verse. What does this mean? It means that Paul compared his story of conversion with God’s creation.
What happened in God’s creation? According to the Word of God:
And the earth was waste and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep: and the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
—Genesis 1:2
Adam was created in the beginning without sin. Later, unfortunately, man fell, and man became, spiritually speaking, formless and void. Darkness was over the surface of the deep.
Paul was like that. Before he met the risen Lord, how would you describe his condition? Though Paul was a man of great learning, his inner condition was one of darkness. Before he was saved, his heart had become formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep.
Then Paul tells us that the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
On the way to Damascus, Paul’s heart was dark as night. But thank God, when Paul recalled his story of conversion, he said:
God, who said, Light shall shine out of darkness, is the one who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
—2 Corinthians 4:6
When the light of the gospel shone into the heart of Paul, the Spirit of God had already been moving over the surface of the waters. Before the light of the gospel appeared, the Spirit of God had been working.
Sometimes I wonder why Paul had to travel so far before the Lord met him. He took documents with him, and he wanted to go to Damascus to persecute the believers. He probably went out from the gate of Jerusalem and traveled north toward Damascus.
Why did God not strike him at the gate of Jerusalem? Why did God allow him to travel for so many days—almost a week? As I understand it, he did not speak to his companions. He was very much alone; he was lonely.
But thank God, though it was a long way, God was waiting, waiting, and waiting. When he was almost approaching Damascus, God did something. Why? Because before the light of the gospel appeared, the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.
If you study the life of Paul, it is very interesting. You remember that Paul was there at the martyrdom of Stephen. When Paul saw the face of Stephen, it was like the face of an angel.
That face really struck Paul. Luke was not there when Stephen was stoned, so what gave Luke this impression? No doubt, somehow Paul told him that the face of Stephen was different from all others.
Not only that, Paul heard Stephen cry:
Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.
—Acts 7:60
While Stephen was crying out in pain because he was being stoned, he was not only filled with the Spirit; he was filled with wisdom. Look at how that life reacted. Then you hear those words: “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”
That prayer reminds us of another prayer:
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
—Luke 23:34
Brothers and sisters, the voice of Stephen and the face of Stephen remained with Paul. Paul was a man of reason. He had ten thousand reasons why he should not believe in the crucified Christ. But he could not get rid of that face like an angel.
Why? Because the martyr had the heart of a lion and the face of an angel. That picture and that impression remained with Paul.
How was Paul going to react? Either he would surrender and confess that this was the truth, or he would go to the other extreme.
At that time, the Lord was like a farmer using a goad to direct an ox. When the ox wanted to go its own way, the farmer used the goad, and the ox would then go in the correct direction.
The Spirit of God was moving, moving over the surface of the waters. Somehow the Spirit was working in Paul’s mind and wanted to bring him to Christ. But Paul was so stubborn. Instead of yielding to the goad, he kicked against the goads.
Because he kicked against the goads, he became furious. He became mad. He became no longer like himself. That is why the Bible says Saul began ravaging the church.
But Saul laid waste the church, entering into every house, and dragging men and women committed them to prison.
—Acts 8:3
The Greek word for “ravaging” gives us a picture of a wild animal attacking a vineyard. Think of it: a man of great learning, a civilized Paul, suddenly became very bloody. He wanted to wipe out the church because he wanted to wipe out the voice of Christ. He did not want to obey; he wanted to go in the other direction.
But thank God, there is light.
Finally, he was caught on the way. Suddenly, a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice:
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?
…
It is hard for thee to kick against the goad.
—Acts 9:4; 26:14
The Lord finally won. Once caught, never escape. That is life. Who can resist the working of the Holy Spirit?
The light of the gospel penetrated the darkness of his heart. Paul saw the glory of God in the face of Christ. The moment Paul met the risen Lord, Paul became a new creation.
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.
—2 Corinthians 5:17
Every Jewish boy knew well the first five books of Moses from childhood. Paul knew what happened in the old creation. Now, in his own words, he compared his conversion with God’s creation.
At the moment he met the risen Lord, God created a new world, and Paul himself became a new creation. That is why later Paul could say, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.”
Everything was done by God. Paul did nothing; he contributed nothing. On the way to Damascus, God put him in Christ. He had a new world.
Let us come back to the word of our Lord. You remember that our Lord spoke about the new birth. He said to Nicodemus:
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born anew, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
—John 3:3
This is a kingdom, a new world. It is totally different. Then the Lord said:
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except one be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
—John 3:5
How do we know that Paul was born again? If you compare his conversion with the word of our Lord, you definitely have to say that his conversion was the moment of his new birth.
To be born again means to be born from above. It is no longer being born from the womb; it is being born of the Holy Spirit. On the way to Damascus, Paul was born again.
What happened after he was saved? God created a new world. Therefore, when we say that we are in Christ, it means that we are in a new sphere. It means that we are in God’s world and in the kingdom of God.
When our Lord mentioned being born again, the first time He said that unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. The second time, He said that unless one is born of water and Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That is exactly what happens to every one of us. When we are born again, it begins with seeing. Then we enter into all the riches of this wonderful life.
If you watch the growth of a newborn baby, especially if you focus on the eyes, you see something very important. Much of our understanding of the world comes through the eyes.
Doctors tell us that when a baby is newly born, at first the baby can only respond to light and darkness. Later the baby begins to distinguish shapes, patterns, and colors.
Then the baby begins to recognize the mother’s face. The earliest impression, the most important impression, and one of the deepest secrets for that life to grow is the impression of the mother.
At the very beginning, the baby can do very little. All the baby can do is see. But that vision is important for growth.
A newborn baby sleeps a great deal. The baby does not struggle to grow. The baby does not do much. Yet life grows. In the beginning, one thing is especially important: vision.
When the mother holds the baby close to her heart, the baby sees the beautiful face of the mother and hears the heartbeat. That is how the baby grows. It is very simple.
As that life grows, the child begins to reach toward objects. Later the child learns to recognize things in three dimensions and can move away from danger. After a year, the child begins to grasp ideas of identity and permanence. Gradually, the child enters into the world of man and experiences the riches of that world.
That is the way of life and the development of life from the beginning. Brothers and sisters, this is also true spiritually.
The glimpse of the risen Christ that Paul received on the way to Damascus became the explanation for the growth of his life. It is true in biological life, and it is true in spiritual life. Our experience is connected with our vision.
Before we go on, I would like to mention another thing which is very important. I have said that “in Christ” is our position at the entrance into life. From the very beginning, God put us in Christ. This is our position; this is our heavenly position.
But do not forget that “in Christ” is also the goal at the end of our life. How do we know this? Listen to Paul:
I count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuse, that I may gain Christ,
And be found in Him.
—Philippians 3:8-9
Paul was in Christ. He knew Christ well. By this time, he had known the Lord for more than twenty years. Yet he said that he counted all things as rubbish in order that he might gain Christ.
Sometimes we do not understand the Word of God because we do not read the context. If you go on, you understand. Paul says, “that I may gain Christ, and be found in Him.”
Here we find that Paul had a goal. He was pressing toward that goal. What was that goal? That he might be found in Christ.
He started with a position in Christ. Now he would march on toward the goal, that he might gain Christ and be found in Him. In Christ simply means union with Christ.
I would like to use this opportunity to make a comment on mysticism, because this is very important. Sometimes, when you love the Lord, you will read books about mysticism, and you may be helped by them.
Especially when I was young, I was very attracted to the writings of Madame Guyon. Sometimes I say that certain sisters seem to be like Madame Guyon—at least candidates for Madame Guyon.
When you read these books, they can be very fascinating. You love the Lord; you want to go on with the Lord; you want to grow in the Lord. But if you really go through books of mysticism, you discover that there are dangers. We have to be warned; otherwise, sometimes we will be led away.
Formerly, I thought Madame Guyon was so perfect that you could find nothing wrong with her. But later you discover that in one of her spiritual exercises, she put stones in her shoes so that she would suffer pain and feel that she was taking up her cross.
Brothers and sisters, we thank God for the gold in mysticism, but we have to avoid the sand. For that reason, if we know the story of Paul’s conversion and the development of Paul’s life, then we have an important point by which to understand the mistakes of mysticism.
According to general mysticism, within each person there is a spark of divine life. If you bring out that spark, then you are able to reach the goal of union with God.
Now you know the mistake. If you follow this teaching, there is no need for the new birth. Everyone can supposedly have a wonderful union with God. But that is wrong—completely wrong.
The second mistake is also very important. According to general mysticism, a person begins with human action and effort alone. One endeavors to ascend toward God in order to have union with Him. Spiritual exercises become a ladder for that purpose.
The idea is this: “Here I am, and God is there in heaven. If I want to reach heaven, I must use a ladder and climb it.” The so-called ladder in mysticism consists of many spiritual exercises.
That is the general idea. But these are major mistakes. According to this view, man approaches God; earth approaches heaven. It is all by human performance, all by the flesh. You will get nowhere.
But according to the Word of God, especially according to the life of Paul, the biblical way is entirely different. It begins with union with Christ by being in Christ. Then one reaches the goal of a fuller union with Christ by grace, and by nothing other than grace.
That is our way. That is how we grow. That is how we have a wonderful union with Christ.
Because we are in Christ, we are not alone. We never try to use our own energy. He holds us near to His heart. We are not orphans. God did not put us out on the street. We are in Christ.
The face of Christ is constantly before us. We see the glory of God. This is the wonderful environment in which the life grows until one day we may gain Christ and be found in Him. That is our goal.
Paul says, “I press on.” Life has a goal, and the development of life will bring us somewhere. Again, that goal is union with Christ. But the secret is also union with Christ: from union with Christ unto fuller union with Christ.
The disciples were already disciples because they had followed the Lord. Yet the Lord said that if they abode in Him and He in them, they would bear much fruit and prove to be His disciples. In the same way, we are already in Christ, that we may be found in Christ.
This is very important, especially for the young brothers and sisters. If we really want to go on with the Lord, we must have a correct understanding. Otherwise, we will be carried away by many writings and wander as Israel wandered in the wilderness.
Now we should quickly come to the four major lessons in the first stage. I mention four because of time, though there are many more lessons. What major lessons did Paul learn in the first stage of his life?
Paul was converted on the way to Damascus. That moment and that incident were very dramatic. Sometimes, especially if you were born into a Christian family and brought up in a Christian family, you feel that your testimony is not dramatic.
You may hear of some gangster or some godfather being saved, and you say, “Wonderful!” Then you may think your own conversion was not so fascinating. Brothers and sisters, do not forget: every conversion, every story of conversion, is a miracle. If you look back, it is something dramatic.
Paul’s conversion was like fireworks. You see splendor in the sky on a dark night. But after that, you have to wait eleven years before you see another great outward manifestation.
When we think of a man like Paul, we imagine fireworks one after another—splendor after splendor, something dramatic all the time. But when you read Paul’s life carefully, you discover that, after the beginning, you have to wait almost eleven years.
Yes, Paul was greatly used by God. But should we wait that long? Sometimes we say that Paul had to wait because he was Paul—gifted, intelligent, and extraordinary.
But Paul was a man of great learning. If God was going to use such a vessel, we might think that God should use him immediately. Fireworks one after another! Yet how disappointing it may seem: Paul was hidden away.
For three years he was in Arabia, and for perhaps six to eight years he was in Tarsus. Then Barnabas went to look for Saul. The Greek scholars tell us that the word “looked” means that Barnabas searched diligently for a long time. Finally, he found him.
Barnabas was like a pearl seeker. How do you obtain a pearl? You have to dive deeply, search, and finally you find a wonderful pearl.
Something had been going on in Paul during those eleven years, but nobody knew. Somehow Paul, like an oyster or another creature in the sea, was developing secretly. We do not know exactly what happened, because the Bible does not tell us very much.
But after eleven years, Barnabas found the pearl. That life had secretly developed in the presence of God.
Sometimes we think it was wasteful for Paul to spend eleven years hidden away. Think about it: later, God used him to preach the gospel. Why did God wait? Why not use every moment of the vigor of his life? But God waited and waited and waited until after eleven years.
That was the first stage of Paul’s life. The explanation is very simple: he lived, “not I, but Christ who liveth in me.”
When we look at the first thirty silent years of our Lord, we have the same explanation. Our Lord lived a dependent life as a man. He lived a life of imitation as a man. These two points summarize His thirty silent years.
With this, we are able to return to the life of Paul. There we discover four major lessons.
The first lesson is living a life that depends on the Head. According to the thirty silent years of our Lord, His life was a life of dependence. Paul, from the very beginning, learned to live in that way.
After Paul met the Lord, the Bible tells us:
And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw nothing; and they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus.
—Acts 9:8
From the very beginning, after he was converted, he could not go by himself. He could not see anything, and he needed someone to hold his hand and bring him into Damascus. Paul began his life from zero.
Then the Lord said to Ananias:
Arise, and go to the street which is called Straight, and inquire in the house of Judas for one named Saul, a man of Tarsus: for behold, he prayeth.
—Acts 9:11
That is Paul. That is newborn Paul. Like a babe, he could not do anything. He could not depend on himself. If he wanted to survive, he had to cry out.
When you hear a baby cry, it means that the baby is helpless. Before Paul was converted, he was somebody. He knew this and he knew that. He was independent. He told people what to do.
Now he had been led by others into the city. Then we have this first lesson: “Behold, he prayeth.”
To live a life dependent upon the Head is to pray. A baby crying out to the mother means, “I cannot live alone. I have to live by my parents.” What is prayer? Prayer means surrender.
It is very difficult for us to pray if we have ten thousand dollars in our pocket. But if you have only one or two dollars in your pocket, your knees become very soft. It is easy for you to pray.
Why? Because to pray is simply to come to the Lord and tell Him, “I am helpless. I can survive only by the grace of my Father.”
That is why prayer is one of the most basic lessons. We have to help our brothers to pray. No matter what, we have to teach them and encourage them to learn this wonderful lesson of prayer.
Once in India, there was a boy who had been taught by a missionary only a little English: “A, B, C.” One day, he saw a lion approaching him. He did not know what to do, so he began to pray, “A, B, C, A, B, C, A, B, C!”
God delivered him. You see, brothers and sisters, he did not know how to pray. All he knew was “A, B, C.” But that was like a baby crying out. He lived a life that depended on the Head.
Without the Lord, we can do nothing. To pray is fundamental. It speaks of a life that depends upon the Head.
Paul also went to Arabia. Why did he go to Arabia? He gives us the explanation:
But when it was the good pleasure of God, who separated me, even from my mother’s womb, and called me through His grace,
To reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood:
Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them that were apostles before me: but I went away into Arabia.
—Galatians 1:15-17
Where was Arabia? You do not have to search very far. In the same epistle, Paul tells us:
Now this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia.
—Galatians 4:25
So, most likely, Paul spent almost three years around Mount Sinai. This reminds us of the story of Moses. Moses had learned all the wisdom of Egypt and had encountered the highest culture of that time. Paul was the same—a man of great learning.
In the Old Testament, you have Moses; in the New Testament, you have Paul. In order to live a life that depended on the Head, Paul did not go to men. He did not immediately go to the apostles. He went to Arabia.
Moses had learned everything from Egypt, and now he had to unlearn. Paul was a well-trained rabbi. He knew the Old Testament very well. He knew the Word of God.
But if you read Romans and Galatians, you see how Paul came to understand the Word. Most likely, while he was in Arabia, he saw light from heaven—from Christ, from the Lord. His gospel was truly a revelation from the Lord.
Perhaps when he studied Genesis 15, he discovered the truth of justification by faith. Perhaps when he studied Genesis 22:17—“thy seed as the stars of the heavens, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore”—he began to see what the promise truly meant.
Then he could say:
Know therefore that they that are of faith, the same are sons of Abraham.
—Galatians 3:7
Again, when he studied Genesis 22:18:
And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.
He came to understand:
Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.
—Galatians 3:16
Now we have Romans, now we have Galatians, now we have the gospel of God, and now we have the gospel of Jesus Christ. Where did Paul get these things? Where did he learn them? He went to Arabia.
He sat at the feet of our Lord, like Mary. He absorbed the words of heaven. In this way, he prayed and studied the Word of God. He lived a life of prayer and a life of the Word.
What is a life of prayer and a life of the Word? In one word, it is a life that depends upon the Head.
Paul also learned a second lesson: living a life that depends on the Body.
After he was converted, Paul asked the Lord, “What shall I do, Lord?” If I had heard that word and known Paul well, I might have suggested to the Lord, “Tell him everything right away. Tell him all about Your will.”
Think about it. Formerly, people called Paul “lord.” People listened to his suggestions. Now he was willing to listen. He was asking, “What shall I do, Lord?” It is difficult to find a man of such learning and intelligence who is willing to listen. Why not tell him everything immediately?
But the Lord said:
Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.
—Acts 9:6
It is true that on the way to Damascus Paul heard the voice of the Lord and knew part of the will of God. But if he wanted to know all the will of God, he had to go into the city. The Lord had to do something through Ananias.
When Ananias came to Paul, he said:
Brother Saul, receive thy sight.
—Acts 22:13
Think about it. Paul had met the risen Lord. If someone were going to cure his eyes and open his eyes, you would think it should be the Lord Himself. Sometimes we want something directly from the Lord.
But thank God, the Lord arranged for Ananias to open Paul’s eyes. Paul had to go to Damascus. His eyes were opened through Ananias.
What a wonderful lesson this is. Paul said that at that very hour, when Ananias said, “Brother Saul, receive thy sight,” he looked up at him.
Think about it. Paul had wanted to kill Ananias. He had come to persecute and destroy those who followed Christ. Formerly, he looked down upon these people. He wanted to wipe out the whole church.
But now he saw a vision. The Bible says that he saw in a vision a man named Ananias. He not only saw the vision of Christ; he also saw something of the Body of Christ through a small member of that Body.
When Paul looked up, he saw. No wonder that from that time onward he had this wonderful phrase:
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given.
—Ephesians 3:8
He saw the Body of Christ on the way to Damascus. He had to go to Damascus. He had to be told by Ananias. He had to receive through Ananias. When he looked up, he saw his brother. He saw that everyone was there. Therefore, he could say, “I am the very least.”
A baby definitely depends on parents, because the baby cannot live alone. But if a family is healthy and full of brothers and sisters, then when the baby cries, not only the mother and father care for the baby; the brothers and sisters care for the baby too.
In the same way, sometimes you study the Word of God and pray, and the Lord answers your prayer. But sooner or later, you discover that there are some words or some passages you will never understand until you meet with brothers and sisters—until you come to the meeting and have fellowship with the saints.
Therefore, I need the Head, and I also need the Body.
That is why the Bible tells us:
Not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is.
—Hebrews 10:25
If you want to grow before the Lord, of course you need to pray. You need to study the Word. This is a life that depends on the Lord, the Head. But we also have to meet with our brothers and sisters.
Only with all the saints can we know the breadth, length, height, and depth of the love of Christ—not by ourselves.
This is definitely a very important lesson. We have to learn to depend on the Head and also to depend on the Body. On the one hand, you must have your own individual life—your devotional life. At the same time, you need your brothers and sisters.
Without the Lord, we cannot live. Without our brothers and sisters, we cannot survive, because God has given us a wonderful family.
The third lesson is to live a life that imitates the Anointed One. Let me explain.
After eleven years, when Barnabas found Paul, the Bible says:
And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught much people; and that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
—Acts 11:26
This is very important. After one year of labor by Paul and Barnabas in the church at Antioch, the whole church at Antioch became different. The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
The people of Antioch had a gift for sarcasm and for giving people nicknames. “Christian” was actually a nickname.
For example, there was an emperor named Julian. He wanted to return to the old ways of ancient philosophy, and he wore a long beard. So people nicknamed him “the goat.” You see, people first saw some phenomenon and then gave a nickname.
Now remember: after one year of labor, Paul had touched the church. Everything became different. Before that, the church of God was considered a sect of Judaism. People thought it was only another branch of Judaism.
But one year later, people in Antioch had a completely different impression. There was such a phenomenon before them that they said, “We must give these people a nickname.” What nickname? Christ-people—Christians.
What is the meaning of Christian? In Greek, Christos means “the Anointed One.” Christians are those who belong to the Anointed One and bear the character of the Anointed One.
The disciples were followers of Christ, and the people had the impression that they were anointed ones. They were no longer merely a sect of Judaism. They had a distinct identity.
If you read Acts 10:38, you find:
Even Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.
—Acts 10:38
He is the Anointed One. But then Paul says:
Now He that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;
Who also sealed us, and gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.
—2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Christ is the Anointed One, and we are the anointed ones. This is the secret of life and the result of proper labor.
In 1 John 2:27, we read:
And as for you, the anointing which ye received of Him abideth in you, and ye need not that any one teach you; but as His anointing teacheth you concerning all things, and is true, and is no lie, and even as it taught you, ye abide in Him.
That is the anointing.
I remember many years ago, my wife and I went to Europe, especially to Rome, for some sightseeing. At that time, Daniel was only two years old. He was very lively, and it was difficult to control him.
So what did we do? We bought a leash. We held him, and he could go wherever he wanted. But when something dangerous happened, we could pull him back. That is like the anointing.
Sometimes you want to do something. You read the Word of God, but you cannot find a specific verse about that matter. There was a brother in China who did not know the Bible very well. One day he wanted to drink wine, and he said, “I do not know whether we should drink wine or not.”
He read the Bible, but he did not know it very well. He did not even know where Genesis or Revelation was. How could he know the will of God? Later someone asked him, “Did you drink it?” He said, “No.”
“Why not?”
He said, “Because the Boss inside did not allow me.”
That is the anointing. If we follow the anointing, that is how we abide in Christ.
Sometimes abiding in Christ seems so abstract, so theoretical. Brothers and sisters, it is very practical, because it is created reality. When we follow the anointing and abide in Christ in this way, then we become a phenomenon to the world.
Then the world cannot help but give us a nickname: Christians. We are those who bear the character of the Anointed One.
The last lesson is to live a life that imitates the Heavenly One.
When we consider the growth of life, we must also consider one very important aspect: we need to know the hindrances to the growth of life.
In ancient China, there was a practice among ladies in which their feet were bound. Even when they grew up, their feet were only three inches long. They called this a three-inch golden lily.
I never understood why people called that beauty. But it happened in a very simple way. When a girl was very young, cloth was wrapped around her feet day and night. The feet were bound so that they could not grow normally.
By the time she was twenty or twenty-one, you found the so-called three-inch golden lily. But if you do not use cloth to hinder the growth, the feet will grow normally and beautifully.
The same thing is true, brothers and sisters, in our Christian life. If we study the Word of God carefully, we discover that in every stage of our Christian life there are certain hindrances to the growth of life. We need the Lord to reveal these things to us.
Because of time, I think we can stop here. We will continue next time.
Lord, we thank You so much for sharing this word with us. It is Your mercy that we may know Your truth. May this truth give us liberty, that we may grow.
We pray especially for the young people here, for the newly converted ones here. Dear Lord, impress this word upon them, especially in the very beginning of their life, that they may walk with You in a very healthy way, in the way according to Your Word.
So, Lord, we commit this word into Your hands. Thank You, Lord. In the name of our Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.